GeekDad 2013 Father’s Day Gift Guide Revisited

Father’s Day is nearly upon us and if you’ve been scratching your head about what to get for dear old dad, we have some ideas for you. GeekDads Jonathan Liu, Z, Tony Sims, Brad Moon, Erik Wecks, and I have collected some of our favorite gift ideas for this year. Check them out!

Computer Apparel Laptop Rucksack

I’ve been a messenger bag guy for decades, but recently I decided to break with tradition. Change came in the form of the Laptop Rucksack. Computer Apparel’s designs are all about injecting functional fashion into device protection, and the Rucksack is no exception. Solidly constructed of flannel wool with durable canvas accents, everything from the oversized zipper and adjustable straps to its spacious padded pockets and multiple pouches screams “comfort” followed immediately by “quality.” Whether you’re hauling a 15″ laptop and full-sized tablet or just your 3DS and MacBook Air, The Computer Rucksack is an ideal (and astoundingly flexible) solution. (Z. Review materials provided by: Computer Apparel)

If you’ve had it with flimsy shells and bulky cases, there’s a name in elegant phone, tablet and laptop sleeves that may’ve escaped your notice. Wrappers is a UK outfit that offers unique solutions from their .RECYCLED line—limited edition products made from locally sourced fabrics—to luxurious Alcantara sleeves constructed from the Italian super-fabric that also graces Formula One seat covers and the ear pads of high-end headphones. Whether you’re looking to protect dad’s Samsung Galaxy or grace his MacBook Pro with a custom wrap, Wrappers has a lovingly crafted cover in just the right style and color. (Z. Review materials provided by: Wrappers)

Geek Polo Shirts

For the “business casual” geek, you could not go wrong getting your dad one of WeLoveFine.com’s awesome polos. The two most popular currently are Stark Industries and Star Trek – of course. (TS)

Kobo’s Aura HD e-reader

While many people are bypassing the old school E Ink e-reader for tablets (are e-readers really old school already?), if you love reading there’s a case to be made for Kobo’s new Aura HD. It combines the best of E Ink —notably that amazing battery life— with a highly effective and even lighting system that’s easy on the eyes, a slightly larger than average 6.8-inch screen and an incredibly sharp 265 dpi display. The Kobo Aura HD is available in Onyx (black), Espresso (brown) and Ivory (white) and like all Kobo e-readers, supports the ePub format. (BM)

Shelby Foote’s Civil War Trilogy

The end of June marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. If the dad on your list is a history buff, Shelby Foote’s comprehensive and compelling massive three-volume narrative of the war of the states is a fantastic addition to anyone’s library. Available in hardcover and paperback. (DB)

Raising Cubby by John Elder Robison

Finally, a memoir about being a dad that isn’t just full of lame jokes about breast milk and diapers. Raising Cubby is a deeply moving story about a father and son, both with Asperger’s, navigating a world that doesn’t understand them. Buy it on Amazon. (JL)

Geek Tees

For the plain casual geek, WeLoveFine.com has some award-winning new shirts featuring Star War’s Boba Fett helmet emblem and X-Men. All of WeLoveFine.com’s shirts are quality made and guaranteed to please. (TS)

Pocket Spotlight

The Pocket Spotlight from Photojojo is great for when you need some light but a flash would be too harsh. Use the hot shoe mount on your camera, or switch to the headphone mount to plug it into your iPhone. Dad’s Instagram pictures never looked better. (JL)

Kingston MobileLite Wireless

Kingston’s Wi-Drive came into my life like the answer to my road-weary prayers. The gadget streamed hours of drive-time entertainment to my family’s iOS and Android devices with only minimal setup. Recently Kingston has made this great idea even better with the MobileLite Wireless. This next gen product still wirelessly streams movies, music and photos to three simultaneous users, but rather than rely on limited internal memory it now integrates with USB flash drives and a grocery list of SD cards. And for the dad on the go it also serves as an emergency charger for your own phone! (Z. Review materials provided by: Kingston)

This little Bluetooth speaker has a pretty big sound. It supports apt-X for CD-quality sound, and includes a microphone so you can use it as a speakerphone. Now Dad can make the whole family listen to his iTunes playlist whenever he wants. Buy it from Kinivo or Amazon. (JL)

The Space Book by Jim Bell

The Space Book is a thick “coffee-table” book with hundreds of gorgeous historic photographs related to astronomy. Laid out chronologically from the beginning of time to the end of the universe it catalogs the development of universe and our understanding of the cosmos around us. Each photo is accompanied by a short one page explanation by Astronomer Jim Bell, which highlights its importance for our understanding of the universe. For even the casual fan of space, looking at how far we have come in our understanding is awe inspiring. Mark this as the perfect gift for the space geek in your home. (EW)

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For Android tablets, one new Android tablet to launch this week with impressive features is the Pipo M6 ($279) — a full size 9.7″ tablet with a Retina screen and a Quad Core processor, and compares to the $400 Nexus 10 and iPad — and offers Android 4.2 and the latest Rockchip Quad Core performance processor, along with a 2048X1536 IPS screen; Bluetooth 4.0, WIFI, HDMI, Dual Cameras, a long lasting 7000 mAh battery, Premium Dual Front Speakers, and Google Play… it offers a thin 9.6mm profile and weighs in at 1.10 lbs… and is also one of the first tablets that works with Miracast HD Wireless (like Apple Airplay device) to stream movies wirelessly from your tablet to a TV, in full HD 1080p, and is also great for 3D gaming on your big screen using the tablet as a motion control device.

The Novo 8 Discovery ($169) became available this week and compares to the 8-inch mini iPad — with fast Quad core performance, and an 8″ size, which is almost as compact as a 7″ Nexus 7 tablet but in comparison offers 65% more screen space to play with. The Novo 8 Discovery offers an impressive 5000 mAh battery for long life, MicrosSD, Dual Cameras, HDMI, and the Novo 8 Discovery also features Miracast HD Wireless.

Both of these new models are available at T ab l e t S p r i n t– a site certainly worth reviewing if looking for a new Android tablet device.